Global mergers and acquisitions close to $65bn
Commentary from Edward Thorne, global head of compliance solutions at Dun & Bradstreet, on the news that worldwide mergers and acquisitions has reached close to $65bn, despite the worries of Brexit.
Edward said:
“The figures released overnight are a clear sign that the business community hasn’t collapsed meekly in the face of impending Brexit. Until the UK actually leaves the EU, our advice to businesses is to forge ahead – but this should be done with caution. M&As are always highly complex moments in a business’ life – the coming together of two organisations each with a complex supply chain of partners, customers and suppliers. The risk it poses is huge and must be managed effectively.
“M&As, or sales and revenue growth, are wonderful things but will come crashing down if a supplier is found to be committing fraud or a company merged with is actually on the verge of bankruptcy. Our call to arms is for businesses to really use their compliance teams, make them core to every business decision as we move towards Brexit, and also make sure those compliance teams have the tools and support needed to protect the organisation and drive business growth. Whether that is data analysis tools, real-time reporting or anything else. Businesses need to arm your compliance teams to enable them to protect the organisation.”
